A clustered colourful crazy post {and yes, I love alliterations}

While I really love blogging, it turns out to be quite hard for me here. It's just so much going on, that sorting everything and writing about it at the same time is not so easy.
When I write about something, it is in some way processed by me. I closed up with it and can now look back on it. Here, things keep jumping at me, every moment there is something new and moments which are just quiet and uneventful don't happen. But than again, blogging is something I love and I've been doing for so long now, I don't want to give it up.
So. Anyways, today is Tuesday (well yesterday) and Herero Day, which is a public holiday. It is amazing to have a long weekend for the first time since I arrived and get a little distance from school and work. So this is also what my post will be about. A bit randomness of the last weeks ;)

I've done a quiet bit a walking around Windhoek by now but I noticed I don't really have many pictures to show for it (well, it mainly happens before and after work so it doesn't seem so exciting) but I might just share the few I have with you anyway ;) So this is one of the many churches we came by when we were looking for their hours the other day

My EP buddy Susanna who showed us around at our first week

Her and my work colleague posing all nicely for me ;)

Windhoek at night.

The Zoo Garden (the one tree I really find impressive in here)

And I made people pose for me again :D

Then, the other day we went to this amazing coffee shop/restaurant. I wasn't really hungry (though the cakes looked so so so tempting I don't really know how I did it to not order any). But I had this crushed mint lemonade which was huge and really really good! Haha ok I think I made my point clear. You should go there!

Since we have an oven at home now (one which actually works) it was only a matter of time we would end up making pizza. So the other night I did. Love colourful veggies.

The actual pizza turned out so well that I proudly had to document the whole process. Pizza and dinner table. There are also some really embarrassing pictures of us eating the pizza but we will skip those for the sake of our reputation...

Since this is where I spent most of my time, a picture was really needed at this point. School.

At our house, we have a couple of problems with the keys. So recently, it just happened again that I found myself locked out after school. One of my neighbours let me into our compound and so I used the time to do some Yoga. 

It was one of my best practises so far! Not being able to rush anywhere, it was amazing to really just be there. The sky wasn't to depressing either...

Another random food shot of the other week. But I loved my plate.

What I also love is the design of our peanut butter!.....random, I know

Since I only got to see our part of the city plus downtown where I work, I asked Susanna last week if she could show me the part where she lives. It was amazing to get to see more of Windhoek (thank you again!!!)

Her sister wanted a selfie together with me. This, was my first attempt. Fail. I still really like the colours though.

A random street shot in between...

And the more successful selfie

Also, more selfies while walking around ;)

This picture now is probably as random as it gets but don't you think this leave looks a lot like human lungs (or maybe it is just me and having watched too many Grey's Anatomy episodes recently....)

Which makes this a really colourful and really random post but you might get an idea of whats going on around here. ;)

Dann Viljoen Game Reserve

So, the other weekend we decided it was time to do something. Also, I hadn't really seen any animals so far (except for the guinea fowl which lives in the river bed behind our house and is a kind of African 'Perlhuhn') and we were too late for something really big so we decided on Daan Viljoen.
Dann Viljoen is a 39km2 Game Reserve west of Windhoek and since it doesn't have any predators you can actually walk around in it! (In Etosha you're not even allowed to open the car door....strictly speaking). SO that's what we did for our Sunday afternoon!

We drove out of the city. If you do that, pretty soon the only thing you'll discover are hills and a very thin vegetation of sturdy tress and bushes.

Driving through the gate, we had to follow the street up the to restaurant/office/camping site to pay our park fee. Also, since we were too many people we used two cars. I was in the first one ;)

Though I really hadn't had any problems with the extra bit of time. In the tree on the left you can see a really common nest type. The birds built little bowls which hang there, as far out on the branch as possible, to make nesting safer for them and their babies.

It was quite dark and huge clouds were looming on the horizon. Eventually, we also started to hear the thunder.

After 10 minutes or so we got a text from the other group, telling us that they had missed the right turn and were going to take a bit longer, so we decided we would start with a mini tour around the office/camping site. Right were the path started, a warthog family and some baboons had a loud and verbal discussion on who was supposed to stay on that certain patch of earth. The baboons won (poor Pumba).

Can you see the Baboon? And more, really dramatic clouds....

Footprints. Oh and yes, I was walking around in shorts. If you intent to give the tan a try and you are me, you need to make sacrifices (like being warm and comfortable....though it got warmer like half an hour later).

Finally, the other part of our group arrived. We got our maps...

...and started!

With my camera I somehow either end up behind or in front of people. Taking pictures in a group just somehow seems to be impossible.

Our reliable and obvious path-signs....(and I would lie if I said we didn't think about turning it around....just a bit....;P)

Somewhere on the way we decided that finally the time for proper pictures had arrived. So we left the others to walk ahead and started taking pictures. Here, with a tree.

But of course, there was more to take pictures of. Can you see them?!

But then again, this pond was asking for it ;)

In the middle of it all I started to have problems walking. Something sharp was poking into my feet. After removing my shoe for like ten times without finding anything inside, we finally found the thorn on the outside. It had pushed itself through my sole.....

Arriving at the waterhole.

More guinea fowls. This is were our trip was supposed to stop. But who would we have been if we would have actually followed what we were supposed to do. So instead, we went on and climbed one of the 'mountains'

Which I highly recommend!

My usual and necessary feet picture

Oh and when we came down (we used a different way down than up) we found this!

My flatmate in deep thoughts, trying to figure out what happened. Its leg was lying a couple of meters away in the grass.

More animals....

...and did you know they have ostriches here?! (Now you know)

Since it was already starting to get dark we didn't do the other walking safari but made one round with our car. And look what we saw!!

Definitely a Sunday afternoon well spent!

Home and a few other things

The last week has been a bit stressful, due to me feeling not a 100% and work being slightly frustrating but luckily it's the weekend now. Cross that out. Somehow I managed to end up as busy here in Namibia as I've been back home but I guess I'm just good at putting stuff on my plate ;) And after all, somehow I still really enjoy it. So, before I'll head into the safari we did this weekend, I first wanted to share a bit with you about the place I live in right now. So let's hope on a tour with me ;)

I think I did show pictures of our kitchen before, but since it seems to be the most important part of a home (hello?! Food!!!) I thought, a second glimpse won't do any harm.

Right now, I'm sharing a room with two other girls so this is my 'bedside table'. I love it :) 

Our room. For two nights it was crammed full with four mattresses. So three feels pretty empty already.

Our messy office table. Really! I haven't seen a messier table before, but it's still effective and great. Which also is a bit like how the rest of the house works. Messy and magical.

If we turn left at our house, this is what will appear pretty soon on your right side. The way to the super market.

And this is the view, if you peak over our fence....

Me, walking around our neighbourhood. Just proving I'm really here.

The first weekend, I randomly strolled through all our streets just to figure out where I was actually living (that's me. I do it everywhere). This was another view I came past.

Early sunset from our office window....

And we have a lemon tree!!! Where we simply can go out to and pick our own lemons!!

Also, in the house complex we live in, there are a couple of other people living. This is mono our neighbours daughter. Needless to say I like her ;)

I could also convince her to take a selfie with me

And a collection of pink and yellow to our feet :)

Also, we recently, the Polytechnic University of Windhoek had a cultural week. This was the three of us, watching different traditional dances.

Those woman were doing something with....cows?! But I'm not a hundred percent sure. What I knew is that at one point, the guy with the hat on the right, went around and spit water over the guys and the woman...

Selfie time ;)

I took pictures of every group  but sadly don't really know which one are which. So I'll just give you another shot as an impression.

In between they had little games. Also, can you tell, they like eating competitions....

Then, the other day, I came home to this! The green house is ours!

Just sliiiightly concerning, right?!

The whole area right next to the house...

Turns out, they do it regularly because it would be something natural happening at this time out in the bushes. Some of the fires actually just happen somehow. This one, however was planned. well, as planned as something gets around here ;)

And that's its. Messy. Magic. A bit chaotic. Quite lovely in its own way.